First-principles calculations shed light on semiconductor defects
physicsworld.com- Researchers discover potential defects in ‘the world’s second-favorite semiconductor’ — gallium nitride (GaN), used in satellites, space crafts, and nuclear devices.
- All of these uses expose GaN to high-energy particle irradiation, leading to a lot of different issues, some of which are grouped as “defect pairs”.
- Studying all the 21 different types of defect pairs that can form, researchers decided to perform first-principles calculations.
- The results of these calculations will be fundamental for future multiscale simulations of radiation damages to GaN semiconductors.
- All of this data will help scientists engineer GaN-based devices with longer lifetimes, and resistant to radiation.